PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE REWARDED. 107 



elephants through it several times, and this day we found 

 cattle and sheep quietly grazing in it, tended by two or three 

 herdsmen, who squatted on the paths and lazily watched their 

 charges, indifferent to all danger from tiger or boar. Briefly, 

 we beat the covert from end to end without a " sign " of a 

 tiger, till the second time, when we came upon part of the 

 skin of a sheep just killed, and shortly after one of our party 

 declared that he had seen the tail of a tiger disappear rapidly 

 in the grass in front of him, but as he had not fired this 

 statement was received with some doubt and suspicion, much 

 to his indignation. However, we had now got something on 

 which to build hopes of success; accordingly we toiled till 

 near sunset without a view, and had reached nearly the 

 upper end of the grass in the course of our last beat without 

 success. The crimson disc of the sun was now touching the 

 horizon beyond the waters of the river, flooding all objects 

 around us in a soft yellow light, and rendering the shadows 

 darker and dimmer every minute as we neared for the last 

 time the end of the covert, when something glided ahead 

 between the roots of the thick bunches of grass, and crouching 

 low disappeared swiftly in the gloom. One elephant was, as 

 usual, on the very verge of the jungle on our extreme left ; 

 next to it was one with a " howdah," and between it and 

 me two more pad animals, while, on my right, two other 

 "howdahs" and a dozen pads completed the line, which was on 

 the point of wheeling to the right when I detected the 

 tigress's low undulating form creeping ahead, and quickly fired. 

 The occupant of the " howdah," on my left, an excellent shot, 

 had also seen her, and fired at the same instant, our two 

 barrels ringing out almost as one, and both bullets hit; for 

 up rose the tigress on her hind legs, and made at us open- 

 mouthed, growling most savagely. Again our rifles spoke, 

 and two bullets entering her broad white chest brought her 

 to the ground writhing in her death throes. 



The end was sudden and startling, as all before it had been 

 dull and wearisome after the first beat ; accordingly the 

 success which crowned our toils was none the less acceptable, 



